


Trials of the Goddess

by eelkonig



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, fuck canon it's my turn with the demon lord, i'm making ghirahim more sympathetic than he actually is oops, old man yells at cloud
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-23 09:40:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23009470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eelkonig/pseuds/eelkonig
Summary: A look into Ghirahim's perspective on the Silent Realms, and a different envisioning of the final confrontation.
Relationships: (but mostly ghirahim), Ghirahim & Link (Legend of Zelda), No Romantic Relationship(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 39





	Trials of the Goddess

**Author's Note:**

> what's UP i'm writing for zelda again
> 
> anyway i've been thinking a lot lately about my favorite demon lord and my favorite thing to do with my thoughts is Write Em. i've also been thinking about morals lately so what else does one do with that but write philosophical fanfiction for a game that's almost ten years old
> 
> in any case. enjoy. whatever this is lmao
> 
> (also shoutout to julia (@hinezumi on tumblr) for proofreading this ily)

The first time Ghirahim saw Link kneeling in a glittering portal clutching the Goddess Sword, he’d almost killed him on sight.

He had been in Faron Woods on business. Strengthening his troops’ hold on certain locations was routine for the demon lord at this point, and Link had, admittedly, done a spectacular job at thinning out his forces in the forest in recent days. It had aggravated him to no end, having to continually replenish his troops because of one boy with a tiny little sword. So when he saw Link so vulnerable, so _defenseless,_ instinct compelled him to draw his blade.

Something stopped him, however. Perhaps it was his realization that this was the first time he had observed Link so closely. As he looked at the boy kneeling before him, Ghirahim frowned, looking at his soft, youthful features and the intense expression upon them.

_Just how old is this boy?_ Ghirahim thought to himself, circling Link curiously. _At first I thought him a young adult, but looking closely, he seems more like a teenager._

He stopped in front of Link and faced the child fully, gazing at him with a scrutinizing eye. Link’s hands grasped the Goddess Sword tightly, and Ghirahim could see the tension in his knuckles even through his gloves. His eyes, rather than calmly closed, were pressed shut tightly, almost in a grimace. 

“What on earth is your goddess making you go through, boy?” Ghirahim whispered, more to himself than anyone else. 

Suddenly, the portal around Link began to shimmer, and Link’s expression relaxed. Ghirahim took that as his cue to snap his fingers and warp away. He was certain that he wasn’t what Link wanted to see immediately upon waking.

The second time was different. Lanayru Desert was much too hot for Ghirahim’s liking; he hadn’t intended on being there for long. So when he saw the boy kneeling in the center of the desert, he almost ignored Link entirely.

Again, however, he took notice of the tension in Link’s form, and he paused. 

“A teenager,” he mused quietly, sitting on a nearby stone structure. “Hylia is faced with the resurrection of her greatest foe, and she places her hopes in a teenager.”

Link’s expression was less fearful this time, Ghirahim noted. Yet it still carried that same intensity as before. His grip on the Goddess Sword was less clench and more grasp, but he was still evidently tense.

Still afraid.

“I wonder if Hylia expects this boy to be fearless,” Ghirahim continued, summoning a dagger to idly toss up and down. “Perhaps this is her way of preparing him for the trials ahead.”

He gazed out at the sky as the wind gently ruffled his hair, then back to the boy before him. “But is it really necessary to terrify him so?”

In a flash, he was gone again. He didn’t fancy sticking around in the heat much longer, especially not if Link was to wake up soon.

The third time, Ghirahim got mad.

Not actually _angry_ , mind you, but frustrated. He had been poking around Eldin Volcano, trying to find his way to the Fire Sanctuary, where again he saw Link kneeling in a portal. This time, Link seemed weary, as though he had been there for some time without making any progress.

“What is the _point_ of this nonsense?!” he found himself exclaiming to no one in particular. Well, to Hylia, but he didn’t really think she could hear him. “You’ve tortured this boy enough!”

He sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair, composing himself. “I have seen him fight several times now, and not once has he wavered. Not once has he shown fear to enemies far larger and stronger than himself. What could you _possibly_ be doing to him that is making him so _afraid?!”_

Ghirahim wrung his hands, then dropped them to his sides in frustration. He turned his gaze to the sky, directing his attention to Hylia as best he could. “It is so incredibly ironic,” he said, “that a demon is the one giving a lecture on morals to a goddess.” As he looked back at Link, he laughed softly. “Even _I_ have standards.”

He sighed again, then looked to the sky once more. “I wonder if the ends justify the means for either of us.”

With that, he walked on, leaving Link behind. With every step he took towards the Sanctuary, he felt less sure of the soundness of his reasoning. 

What would he do if Link continued on his path?

This was it. After all this time, Ghirahim was mere moments away from the return of Demise and the fruition of everything he had been working toward for the last century.

And as expected, Link stood before him with the Master Sword drawn.

His stance had vastly improved since their fight in the Fire Sanctuary. Link carried himself with the maturity of someone ten years older. His gaze was intense and determined, showing none of the fear Ghirahim had previously seen in him.

Even though Zelda hung suspended in the air behind him, the ritual a hair’s breadth away from being complete, Ghirahim turned his full attention to the boy before him.

“Are you afraid?”

Link paused, a confused expression on his face. He didn’t understand.

“Are you afraid?” Ghirahim repeated, his voice cold. “This could be the moment your entire world is destroyed. Do you fear that?”

The determined expression from before returned to Link’s features, but the boy didn’t respond.

Ghirahim sighed. “I have seen you afraid, hero.” He crossed his arms and stared the boy down unflinchingly. “Not by anything of my doing. In all of our battles, you have not shown fear once. It is almost impressive for someone of your age.”

Link gripped the Master Sword tighter, suspicious of Ghirahim’s intent.

“But you have been afraid,” Ghirahim continued. “I don’t know what your goddess put you through while you knelt motionless in those portals, but I saw your fear then.”

Link visibly tensed. A bead of sweat rolled down his cheek. Ghirahim nodded in realization. “Nothing good, I presume.”

Ghirahim sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Consider, then, if this is really the woman you want to follow. She who put you through tribulations more torturous than even those of demons.”

Neither of the two said anything for a brief moment; it felt like time had suspended itself as they stared at each other. Suddenly, Link exhaled, then adjusted his stance and raised his blade confidently.

“I see,” Ghirahim said in reply. He turned to face Zelda once again, looking up in contemplation. “I will not kill you. Such a thing is beneath me.”

With a snap of his fingers, his rapier was in his hand, and he whirled around to face Link as his cape disappeared. 

“But I will not make this easy for you.”


End file.
